NB Numeric Still Kid video_ Josh Hallett interview

We had a chat with Josh Hallett, the eye and lens behind NB Numeric’s spectacular “Still Kid” video, which took a year and a half to shoot, traveling across Europe with the team. Josh lives in Leeds, in the north of England and he’s an inexhaustible source of energy and positivity that makes all the difference when working on such a long and complex project and yes, he’s not only the filmer, but also often the driver, the motivator, the food spot hunter, the older brother and the spot planner. Enjoy some behind-the-scenes stories from the “Still Kid” project. Thanks Josh you killed it!

(Photos and Interview Davide Biondani)

Josh, Sheffield 2025.

Hi Josh, how long did you guys filmed for this project and where did you go?

We filmed for about 17 months for this video. It started in Sicily in May 2024. We filmed in Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Warsaw, Zurich, a bunch of cities here in the UK and then the last few bits were filmed in Leeds in October of this year. We also stayed at Henry’s family holiday home on the Spanish coast a couple of times and hit some of the local towns. They were really fun trips!

Josh, Sicily 2024 first filming mission for the project.

How was the process for this new video? Did you have a raw idea/concept when you started or you filmed and it all took shapes in the making?

I really had no idea at the beginning what this video would end up looking like. I did originally think that it would be shorter and finished by the end of 2024. I’m not sure why I thought that to be honest. We treated the filming process pretty much the exact same way as we did for ‘Wake Up Massi’. We mainly did week long trips to cities around Europe that we had connections in so that it was easy finding spots and local places to eat and drink. The video started taking shape about half at through filming it. That’s where I started to get an idea of who would have parts. I guess the biggest difference with this new video was that there were a few more people involved. I think there is like 7 or 8 extra riders in this video plus there are even more that we just couldn’t fit into the final edit. I genuinely felt terrible about leaving people out and cutting some good tricks from the video but I think the final product does benefit as it’s a smoother edit.

Charlie Birch, blunt slide. France 2025.

Cherlie, Matlok, Josh, making the spot skateable. France 2025.

Favorite trip and destination? The hardest and why?

I think my favorite destination was Valencia. The homies out there are all really sound and welcoming. It’s also Lukas’ home so it was easy to plan what spots we wanted to go to without any hassle of getting pins. I definitely want to go back there soon with the crew. As for the hardest, I think most people involved would agree that the Warsaw trip was a struggle. We were getting kicked out of a lot of spots each day. Way more than anywhere else I’ve ever visited. It was still a good time and hanging with Filip and Kuba was great but once you’ve been kicked out of a spot for the third time and back in the van driving again……shit gets tiring. We still got some good footage though so it wasn’t a failure by all means.

First hour in Southern Spain, first (and only) fine for traffic violation.

Favorite 3 clips/tricks you filmed?

Difficult to say. There are some clips where I really like the filming, others where the trick is done amazingly and then there are times where the session vibe is perfect. Off the top of my head I’d say that Fred’s switch bs nosegrind revert in Leeds is one of my favourite clips. It’s a famous spot in my home city and there was a really good crew there watching him try it. His technique in that clip is also incredible. Another favorite would be Massi’s nosegrind nollie bs heel in Madrid. I think it was the day after the ‘Intervals’ premiere and we had about 25 people on the session. Everyone was hyped on that trick and I think Massi shocked himself that he actually did it haha. Finally, there’s a line of Henry in Warsaw that I really like. He had just figured out bs noseblunts on ledge and we filmed one to fakie. There’s just something really dope about the way he does the line and I especially like one strong push he does in between the two tricks.

Fred Ryan, switch backside nose grind revert. Leeds 2025.

The most tricky clip to film?

I don’t know if it was the trickiest one to film but Flo did a line in Zurich and he did it about fifth try but I fucked it up. I still don’t really know what happened but I just stepped off my board as he was in fakie manny and pulled the camera away from him. Then it took another hour or so until he did it again. I felt pretty bad. Sorry Flo!

Josh, super 8 action. Spain 2025.

How much footage do you generally film in a week-long mission, and how many clips end up in the video on average?

We’re pretty productive on trips and usually get around three minutes of footage over a week. Obviously a bit less on shorter trips. It’s hard to tell what will actually make the cut until I sit down and start editing the video. We had a total of 31 minutes of actual tricks that I cut it down to 21 minutes total for the final edit. So obviously some things didn’t make it in but we still have a plan for that footage so it won’t go to waste.

Conor and Henry, Manchester 2025.

The trip to Leeds was one of my favorite skate trip ever. How was having the squad in your city? Chill because you were at home or more stressful because you were in charge of everything?

It was good fun having the crew in Leeds! The weirdest thing for me was I’d drop you all at the Airbnb on an evening and then I’d go home and sleep in my own bed haha. Definitely felt strange doing that considering it was a filming trip. It was a risk getting everyone over to Leeds for a week as the weather can be very unpredictable in the north of England. Even in the summer, you can’t guarantee that it’s going to be dry. It was cool showing you guys around Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester and Wakefield. I don’t think Henry had it on his bucket list to one day visit the college banks in Wakey….

Josh & Andrew Verde with kids, Leeds 2025.

Leeds 2025.

You don’t just film, but on many occasions you’re also a team manager, driver, motivator, big brother, food spot hunter, social media manager… ha ha. How do you feel about this? And do you think the filmmaker’s job today is much more than just filming?

I really don’t mind it to be honest. I’ve always been pretty punctual and I’m happy to take the lead organizing things. I think the filmer in most crews accidentally becomes an unofficial team manager. I don’t really know why that is but it just naturally happens. I definitely like it when Baines comes on trips though as it takes away the stress of figuring some shit out. Before a trip I’ll normally make a spot folder on my phone and try and get the pins before we arrive. Then I’ll plan the days out in advance based on what spots the guys want to skate. It obviously doesn’t always work out that way but I find it really difficult turning up to a new place and relying on skate intuition to locate spots. The only real stress on trips is driving a van in new places but you get used to doing that pretty fast.

Lukas Amador, bluntslide to 50-50. Sicily 2024.

How did you approach “Still Kid” differently from “Wake Up Massi”? I noticed there’s a more lifestyle footage in this latest video.

I didn’t approach filming this video any differently to the last one to be honest. As I said earlier, I think the biggest difference was how many more people were involved but I guess that’s because they enjoy the first one. Maybe that’s why? I’m not really sure on that actually. As for the lifestyle stuff, I do try to film as much Super 8 as I can as well as film peoples reactions to tricks. You want that genuine hype caught on camera because you can’t fake that stuff.

Josh, Dale & the boys. Sicily 2024.

How do you balance the need for social media content while on tour with the exclusivity that footage and spot selection need for the final video? Have you ever had problems with random people or local skater posting bts or stuff that shouldn’t be posted?

When it comes to social media stuff I’m fully aware of how important it is for the crew to have a presence and for us to show as a crew what we are up to. So if I’m not filming an actual trick, I try and grab as much iPhone footage as possible. Some of the guys like that and some of them hate it haha. A few of them definitely like to keep up their ‘mysterious’ online presence haha. Now and again we’ll have to focus on filming some phone stuff for a new shoe and it can take up some time on a trip but it’s part of the job. The dudes understand that they’ve gotta do it and it’s ultimately good exposure for them.

I’ve never really had a problem with a random person filming a trick on their phone and posting it. I think that a normal person in the street might get their phone out to film but once they realize that the trick is taking longer than they expected, they get bored and walk off. That shit happens a lot. As for skaters, I think 95% understand that they shouldn’t be filming and posting stuff of people who are evidently working on a project.

Josh & Dee Collins, full cab in Madrid, 2024.

When did you know Andrew Verde would have had the final part? How is filming with Drew?

I genuinely really love Drew. He really is one of the nicest dudes ever. He’s also just so professional about the way he goes about things. He normally knows exactly what he’d like to try and film and 90% of the time he will get the clip without too much of a battle. I feel like we’ve got a good filming relationship and we both know when the clip/trick is right. If there’s any sense of doubt about the clip, we are usually on the same page and it’s no bother for him to try the trick again. I think about half way through filming the video, I got a sense that Drew was probably going to have the last part. He just gets clips. All of the time.

Andrew Verde & Josh filming the switch backside nose blunt slide that is in the video, Spain 2025.

Charlie Birch, Josh, Andrew Verde and Henry Fischer. Spain 2025.

The mission to Sicily, one year and half ago, was Henry’s first skate trip without his dad, he was 14 years old, and was the first time he met all the squad. From your special point of view, how was seeing him growing and progressing?

I first met Henry two years before that Sicily trip as he was in Leeds on a trip with Ant Claravell and Margie Didal. They came to the premiere of the Welcome Skate Store video when I met them all I thought Henry was Ant’s son haha. Two years later I was meeting Henry all over again in Sicily with the whole crew. He was quiet at first and spent a lot of time quietly drawing. I guess he was just figuring out the vibe of the squad and seeing where he fit in. He was definitely quick to come out of his shell though after a couple of trips he solidified himself as the loudest dude in the crew. I love how he’s always beefing with Davide or Matlok. Proper annoying little brother vibes but he never takes it too far.

Henry Fischer 14yo at the first spot of his first trip without parents of the first mission to film for the video. Sicily 2024.

What hit you the most about him?

I mean…the kid is kind of special. It’s pretty evident that he’s great at skating but he also has this dope 90s style and likes to focus on getting his tricks looking as solid as they can be. It seems like he has been surrounded by really good people his whole life and it’s made him not only into a dope skater but also a lovely person. That first trip we did to his family’s holiday home, Henry was cooking us dinners and making sure we had everything we needed. I wasn’t cooking shit at 15/16 years old. He’s just a really genuine and humble dude who I really like hanging out with. I’m like 20 years older than him but it never feels like that. I guess that it’s those type of things that make skateboarding pretty amazing.

Henry Fischer, board slide. Sicily 2024.

Who would you have liked to have more footage of?

Ideally I’d have loved to have more footage of lot of people but it’s not always possible. Some skaters are busy traveling with other sponsor, working on different projects and of course people can get injured. Massi came through with just over a minute of solid footage even though it felt like he’d been injured throughout the whole filming of the video. I think if he’d had been healthy the whole time, like in the last video, he would have filmed a really good full part.

Charlie Birch, 5-0 revert. Spain 2025.

The music selection is really good, at premieres comments were really enthusiastic about the tracks you used. Was entirely your choice and how many songs did you change while editing?

Music is obviously very important in skate videos. I’m glad people are hyped on the music in this video. I make a playlist of songs I hear in my day to day life and play them on repeat in my car when I’m alone. A lot of the music I end up using comes from soundtracks to tv shows. I watch quite a lot of television haha.

I am left to my own devices when editing and can make the music choices myself but there are also situations where I have to take on feedback which can lead to changes. For example, I had a song lined up for Drew for months and I was really hyped on it when I put it together with his footage. However, the feedback I got was that it didn’t work very well and was asked to find an alternative. It’s quite rare for that to happen though. Overall I’m given the freedom to edit to what I think is best.

I’ve been filming with Dale for like 10+ years and I’m always hyped on the songs he skates to. I know that I’m the one that’s choosing them but he’s had a strong list of great section songs over the years. He’s a lucky boy haha.

Josh & Henry. Spain 2025.

How is the feeling now after the release of a project you worked on for such a long time? And what’s next for you?

I just feel a bit of relief once a project is finished and put online. I actually kind of dread premieres because I find any sort of in person compliment a bit awkward. I never know how to respond to people without thinking to myself that it sounds arrogant or something. So now that it’s out and online I’m definitely happy. I can handle any online negative comments much better haha. As for what’s next….Fred has some really banging footage that we didn’t manage to fit into the video so we are working together on a part. I’d like to involved Dale and Dee a bit in that as they all ride for Welcome. Then I guess I need to sit down with Baines and Mackey and discuss what we should do next year. I just want to travel with my friends as much as I can because it’s always such good fun.

All photos Davide Biondani.